Phoenix... thrust into the spotlight

It was unintentionally comical watching Phoenix wow the crowd at Brixton (yes, twice in a few days) - they're a hapless, half willing/ half baffled victim of their own success. With the break-out runaway smash hit album Wolfgang Amadeous Phoenix, the audience came expecting Top40 pop magic, a show, some celebrity love. And Phoenix, bless 'em, did their best. Problem is, they're just not into big rawk songs. Their music is a rather archaic sort of 'groovy'. They like being 'cool', in all senses of the word. And more than anything, they're inescapably french. The french don't do punk, and there's no violence in their pop. They don't do heartfelt. Or earthy, or working class, or epic. French pop is ironic, understated, cool, or  else it's just blissfully, hilariously, genuinely cheesy.

And this, so goes my pot thesis, is why there's such a lack of great french international crossover bands. On the face of it Phoenix should be the french Coldplay - universally accessible, melodic rock-pop. But they're just too shy, I don't believe they could pull it off. Coldplay, for better or worse, have ambition - they want to play stadiums and do world conquering tours like their heroes U2. By contrast, Phoenix seemed a little overwhelmed by Brixton Academy, coming across a bit like a teenage band who's recently won a rock talent quest. Although now I think about it, if anything they're probably closest to the Magic Numbers.

Inarguably, they have some great songs - Wolfgang... is one of those albums where every track sounds like a top 10 single. Their set was most or all of the album, "1901", "Girlfiend", "Lasso" .. are just irresistable whoever you are. The very 80's "Too Young" is probably my favourite and came over creditably. The highlight was a properly bone-rattling deep, dramatic version of "Love is Like a Sunset" (parts 1 & 2). They're at their best when they're at their danciest, (whisper it, when they're closest to apparent cousins Air)... and when they let go of the rock structures and give rein to that innocent, magical, tune-making.